A Normal Night
by Gemjj
Summary: Angel helps Cordelia. Response to challenge.


Title: A Normal Night

Author: Gem

This is what I came up with for Tiffany's Dark-fic challenge!

Author's Note: Few things you need to know, Cordelia is no longer hanging with the Scoobies after discovering Xander and Willow together. Buffy has broke things off with Angel, but he still helps the gang now and again (therefore he's not Angelus).

She woke up startled, and with an un-focused glance around the room she wondered where the hell she was. Then she remembered. She remembered it all. Too clearly.

It had been a normal night. In fact, to her, it had been too normal – like Xander Harris never happened. Which is what she wanted, to forget.

But then, she knew she couldn't go back to her old life. The 'popular' people where only just letting her back into their circle which she used to be top of, and she could never forget about vampires and demons. How could she after her experiences with slayer and co.?

It had been a normal night as far as the old days were concerned. Queen C ruled again, and all it took was to catch the eye of the hot new guy in Sunnydale High at that party. Out of all of the girls drooling on their shoes over him, he'd picked her. One dance and the Bitch was back.

She'd had a good time. She'd had a good time until her car broke down on the way home.

She twisted in the bed, the sheets tangled up around her, sticking to her body.

She winced as a constant pain on her shoulder started to ache. She winced even more as the muscles in her face tightened at her movement.

Finally in a sitting position at the end of the bed, she set her feet down on the cold floor and tugged the sheet off her.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the state of her lower body.

"It's not as bad as it looks," a deepish male voice protruded out from the other shadowy site of the room.

She shot up on her feet, hands gripping the sheets around her under-wear clad body.

The man came into the light, and she relaxed seeing it was a familiar face.

He took note of her reaction, and his head tipped to one side, "you don't remember last night?"

Her defense came up, and she answered him back callously, "I remember things, I just don't remember you being there."

"I found you. You wouldn't let me take you to the hospital. You didn't want to go home, either. So I brought you here."

He moved toward her, and she instantly took a step back.

He stopped still, and for a moment, they both stood there in silence.

"I'll be out there," he gestured towards the door, "if you need me."

Her eyes narrowed as she watched him walk towards the door, he turned around as he crossed the threshold, gazing over at her for a second before reaching to close the door.

"Angel?"

He paused, hand hovering over the door handle.

"Cordelia?"

She clutched the sheet tighter around her, but didn't break eye contact, "thank you."

He nodded once, "you're welcome." And his hand clasped the door handle, and it squeaked shut.

She shivered, and sat back on the bed, finding herself reaching for a pillow to cuddle.

Out of all of the nights her car chose to be un-reliable, it had to have picked last night, on one of the run-down roads in Sunnydale.

He didn't know if he should go back in there as her sobs became louder. He felt a need to comfort her, but then, comforting was not a thing he saw himself being able to do.

Last night had been a good night. On the vampire slaying side of things.

On the Cordelia Chase side of things, last night he might've just met the worst side of her yet. The helpless Cordelia Chase, that pleaded with him, that made him promise things he shouldn't have done. And she had been so hysterical then, she didn't even remember it now.

If she didn't remember the promises he made then maybe it would be OK if he were to break them? Because he couldn't leave her in that state. A phone call and a simple explanation to Buffy – or to Giles, anyone – would have someone over there in no time at all who could grab onto some short of control on the situation. Who could comfort her.

But he couldn't break that promise. It was the one she had been most insistent about. – He had to keep last night a secret. And he would. Even if it meant he was the one who'd have to go in and console her, because something about the Cordelia Chase he met last night brought something out in him – something good – which he couldn't

seem to let go of.

He had been walking on one of the run-down roads in Sunnydale looking for more vampires to kill. Instead, he had found that red convertible car. It's number plate couldn't have given him a bigger clue to who the owner was. 'Queen C'. But he hadn't found her in the car. She had been futher down the road.

He gave in, and jumped up. Heading for the bedroom, which he had left her. He reached the door in only a few strides, and it opened with the turn of the handle.

"Cordelia?" He called to her.

Hearing his presence she calmed down seemingly quickly, and he was shocked at the look of hate she sent to him as their eyes met.

"Not as bad as it looks." She repeated his own words calmly back at him. She smirked. "Not as bad as it looks."

She ignored the pain that shot through her body as she leapt up, throwing the sheet off herself and standing on the bed.

"NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS?" She screamed, this time as a question. There was a pause, before she sank to her knees, "tell me again it's not as bad as it looks! … TELL ME!"

As far as comforting her went, he had planned to cuddle and talk soothingly to her. This whole her screaming at him hadn't gone into that plan. But he could see where it was that he went wrong. Hell, everyone in Sunnydale was hearing about where he went wrong.

He moved forward, "I'm sorry I said that. It didn't come out as what I meant it to. Let me make it up to you – I'll do anything."

Suddenly the girl he found last night at the side of the road was back. Her eyes sparkled with vulnerability, and he wondered how he ever just thought of her as nothing but an annoying bitch – how anyone did!

"Anything?" Her voice was so small and child-like. And he became aware of just how young she was.

He nodded, and perched on the edge of the bed.

"Could… could I have a shower…"

He had been expecting something more extreme. Something material even. He realised he didn't know this girl at all – he never claimed too, he never wanted to. But now, maybe, he did.

"… And some clothes?"

He smiled warmly, and stood, "I can do one better than a shower – a long soak in a bath? … With bubbles?"

She nodded.

"Right. Good. I'll –" he gestured to the en suite bathroom, "I'll run the water for you. You can chose some clothes," he strode across the room to his wardrobe and tugged it open, "absolutely anything you want!"

He headed to the en suite, "Angel?"

"Cordelia?"

Her right eye-brow lifted and he saw her eyes were laughing, "you actually have bubbles?"

"It's our secret, OK?" He grinned back.

His gaze lingered on her for a second, as she smiled back. He could tell that most of it was forced, but there was a spark in her eyes that made him think that maybe, just maybe a tiny part was genuine.

He was starting to worry. She had been in the bathroom for exactly one hour, eight minutes and forty-five seconds. It seemed that she had a different opinion of what he had meant by 'long soak'.

But he had decided. He'd give her two more minutes max. And then he would be in there. He had to make sure she was all right.

She had to be all right. Why wouldn't she be all right?

He sighed.

Because it hadn't been a normal night. He didn't want to admit that as much as she did, but it was the truth, and it had to be faced.

She couldn't move. She had managed to pull herself out of the bath when the temperature dropped and now, wrapped in a towel, huddled up on the cool floor was not exactly comfortable. But she couldn't move.

She didn't want to move either. Stay like this until she died sounded just fine.

"Cordy?"

The voice sounded so distant, and she pushed it out of her mind. She liked it here, like this.

"Cordelia? Come on, listen to me. You think I'm gonna leave you like this? After what I promised before? I've said it once, Cordelia Chase, and I'll say it again, you are not alone! I am here for you, I promise."

Had she really asked him to promise that? Had he really agreed?

Through her chattering teeth, she looked up into those beautiful worried eyes, "promise?"

She felt herself be lifted up, "I promise. Just like I promised never to tell anyone of last night, like I promised not to take you home, like I promised I wouldn't get the police involved. Just like all of those stupid things that I should never have promised, I promise you will never be alone. Never, Cordelia. I'm here for you. And I never break my promises."

She was placed back on the bed again, and blankets were wrapped around her shivering body.

Somewhere under the blanket she caught his hand with hers. And again, she was lost in his eyes, "I believe you… So promise me this -" she choked on her tears and his hand griped hers tighter, "- promise me that when I leave here, you'll forget all the promises you made last night. Promise me you'll forget last night all together when I leave?"

He was shaking his head, "Cordelia –"

Her voice became more strangled as she said, "promise me?"

"I can't promise that, Cordelia. I –"

He didn't want to forget, he had found something special under 'Queen C', and it wasn't her vulnerability or anything about the situation that made her attractive to him… he had just caught her at a time she wasn't able to uphold her mask, and what he had seen in her while she was baring her soul was something quite colorful, something magic. And he just wouldn't let her suffer on her own.

She cut him off, "- please," her voice dropped to a whisper, and her eyes, shining of tears, were holding so much hope. "You have to. If you don't I'll never live up to –"

"- What you are? Your reputation?" He asked, leaning forward. "Cordelia, that's a load of shit and you know it! You are not at all like what you try to be. I know I don't know you – and I bet no one really does. You've built up a wall around you, and someone went and knocked a part of it down last night, … and before you could build it back up, I saw what was inside." He shook his head, "I have no idea what it was, because it was something so NOT you. But then, it might've been you. Purely Cordy Chase without her walls and her masks and all the stuff that comes with her Queen C rep. I liked what I saw, Cordelia."

Her eyes misted over for a second, and without realising it, he brushed away her tears.

"You called me Cordy," she said after a moment. "You never call me Cordy. It's always been Cordelia.

"I never knew you well enough before. In fact, the only thing about a nickname is that it's only special when it's used by someone close – someone who knows you." He touched her face gently once again, pushing a stray hair away from her eyes.

"And you know me now?"

"No. But I think this is a start. … And from what I saw of what's hiding behind your walls, I think it's something I'm really gonna enjoy getting to know. So no promises of forgetting any of this OK? Maybe you don't want me to be there for you, but I'm a vampire. I do what I like. And I'm gonna be there."

THE END


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